Veteran South African journalist, Edwin Naidu has won the 2026 Nat Nakasa Award for bravery in journalism.
Naidu, founder of ednews.africa has spent years reporting on higher education, science, and public policy. ednews.africa is a digital newsroom launched to provide sustained, evidence-based coverage of schools, universities, research, and youth development.
Community Media Award 2026 went to Queen Machimane, a journalist with the Rising Sun community newspaper. The Stephen Wrottesley Award winner 2026 was awarded to former acting chair of Sanef, Tshamano Makhadi.
Nat Nakasa Award
The Award is sponsored by Sanlam and held in honour of the late Nat Nakasa, the award celebrates courageous journalism.
The judges recognised Naidu’s reporting on education and his investigations into allegations of corruption and maladministration at the University of South Africa.
The judges said his journalism had consistently served the public interest and demonstrated integrity, courage, and independence.
Responding on winning the award, Naidu said “approaching my fourth decade in journalism, the Nat Nakasa Award is not a finishing line but a challenge to continue telling important stories, asking difficult questions, and holding power to account.
“Nat Nakasa died at 28 leaving a lasting impact on journalism that continues to this day. At 28, I was at Oxford on a Reuters Foundation Fellowship. Decades later, receiving the 28th Nat Nakasa Award reminds me of how the likes of Nakasa paved the way for us as journalists during apartheid so that we can write freely and in many ways, ironically, still face apartheid like persecution in a democracy.
“We face many challenges but truth is empowered by our Constitution. I am grateful to the South African National Editors Forum for this recognition and encourage journalists to stay true to the facts and the truth, like Nakasa and many journalism heroes,” Naidu said.
Community Media Award
The Community Media Award recognises the critical role community journalism plays in strengthening local democracy, promoting accountability, and ensuring that local voices are heard.
The judges noted that community media continues to operate under immense pressure, including financial constraints, declining advertising revenue, and the demands of digital transformation.
Against this backdrop, Machimane’s work stood out for its commitment to serving communities and amplifying issues that might otherwise go unheard.
Stephen Wrottesley Award
This award recognises exceptional service, dedication, and commitment to Sanef.
The judges highlighted Makhadi’s years of dedicated service to Sanef in several leadership roles, including treasurer-general, chair of the Education and Training Committee, deputy chairperson and, more recently, acting chairperson during a particularly challenging period for the organisation.
State of SA’s media
Delivering the keynote address, SABC head of news Deidre Uren reflected on the health of South Africa’s democracy, the state of the media and the future of journalism.
She said courageous journalism had become increasingly important in an era of misinformation, economic pressure, and rapid technological change.
“Accuracy, independence, fairness, verification and public accountability must remain non-negotiable,” Uren said.
Ahead of South Africa’s local government elections, she reminded journalists that their role was not to determine outcomes, but to provide citizens with reliable information that would allow them to make informed choices.
Importance of journalism in society
Bongani Madikiza, chief executive of Sanlam Retail Mass, reflected on the enduring importance of journalism in society.
“Nat Nakasa understood that journalism was not simply about recording events. It was about helping society see itself clearly,” he said.
